Sustainability consulting

We actively support and accompany our investors in the transition to a sustainable future. This concerns both the development of new sustainability concepts and the expansion or further development of existing approaches. In the area of structured manager selection, the focus is then on the practical implementation of these frameworks.

When considering sustainability aspects in capital investment, various implementation paths can be taken. These range from the implementation of specific exclusion lists, to ESG integration in the asset managers' analysis process, to the active exercise of voting rights and engagement in terms of specific sustainability objectives. The appropriate approaches also vary with the asset classes chosen. For us as consultants, it is also important to approach this point with individual solutions; a "one-size-fits-all" approach does not lead to the desired results. If necessary, we agree with the client which implementation path is desired and makes sense. This is the basis for our long and short list questionnaires and the discussions with the managers involved.

Our alphaport® manager database already offers the possibility of filtering according to ESG criteria in the screening process. Asset managers can upload specific information on their ESG approach, so that we can already initially assess the respective ESG integration of the strategies at this screening stage. In addition, we use other commercial databases for supplementary ESG information if required. This enables us to identify and exclude unsuitable managers at an early stage. In the further selection process, we first check some basic ESG aspects for the long list candidates in writing using our questionnaires. However, our experience shows that personal dialog with the investment team is particularly important to verify whether the ESG orientation described on paper is actually "lived" by the investment team. Therefore, ESG is an important topic in the long list video conferences as well as in the due diligence of the short list candidates, which we discuss personally with the managers.

At the end of the selection process, we then derive individual ESG assessment criteria for the short list candidates according to the respective client preference, which we consider in our scoring model as an integral ESG component. This allows us to objectively and transparently document the quality of managers in the area of sustainability. The customized ESG assessment of the managers created in this way is based on the specific ESG requirements of the respective client. It thus provides a precisely fitting basis for decision-making.